Sister Jacinta Shymkiw fell asleep in the Lord on 25 April, 2025, at Holy Family Home, Winnipeg, Manitoba, at 92 years of age, and 73 in religious life.
Sister Jacinta (Katherine) was born in Rose Valley, Saskatchewan, near Wadena, 17 March 1933, and baptized 12 April 1933 in Fosston, SK. She was the daughter of Andrew Shymkiw and Sophia (nee Nycholat), the last of seven children, having had four sisters and two brothers, one of whom died in infancy.
Katherine entered the Sisters Servants of Mary Immaculate in Ancaster, ON on 17 August 1951. Given the religious name Sister Jacinta, she made first profession of vows on 19 February 1954, and final profession, 15 August 1957. She entered before having completed High School, and was able to graduate from Sacred Heart Academy in Yorkton, after making her final vows.
Sister Jacinta served people of all ages throughout her religious life. One of her first ministries was childcare, as prefect of children at St. Joseph’s Children’s Home, in Mundare. She also served in this capacity at St. Anne’s Orphanage in Ituna, and later, returned to Mundare as laundress. She served in the kitchen in many locations: in the Edmonton, Ottawa and Toronto homes, as well as for three years at the Bishop’s residence in Toronto, where she also looked after other household needs. She also cooked for those on 30-day retreat in Guelph, when the Spiritual Exercises were made available to the Community in the 1970’s. Perhaps this was a testing ground for her, for her ministry in her later years.
Subsequently, she took studies in nursing in Toronto, becoming a registered nurse in 1972; in 1973, she also was registered for nursing in Alberta. She served in nursing at Mary Immaculate Hospital in Mundare for two years, and at Holy Family Home for five years, where she also had been involved in pastoral care. While stationed for six years in Ituna, to care for our elderly Sisters, she maintained her license with part-time nursing at the Ituna Pioneer Lodge, a long-term care facility. In both Ituna and Mundare, while nursing, she was Superior of the home. In all, she served as a nurse for thirteen years.
Throughout these years, she taught summer catechism in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario, and in some locations, also taught parish catechism throughout the year. In Ituna, she also prepared students privately for First Holy Communion, and for Baptism, as well as training the altar boys.
After a year of studies in Spokane, Sister Jacinta was assigned as administrator of Mount Mary Retreat Centre in Ancaster, and after a brief return to Ituna, to care for our elder Sisters, she returned to Ancaster to run the Retreat Centre’s kitchen. There, for about 15 years, she provided nourishment for thousands of retreatants of all ages. She received many letters of gratitude for this particular ministry, attesting to her selfless dedication to fostering the faith, and even vocations as a result.
Sister Jacinta spent holiday time mostly with her family, especially with her widowed mother. She had an opportunity in the 1975 Jubilee Year, to visit pilgrimage sites in Rome, Fatima, Lourdes and the Holy Land. She had a great devotion to Our Lady of Fatima. In 1976, she organized a series of holy hours for the Ukrainian Catholic parishes of Winnipeg, from May to October, honouring Our Lady’s request to pray for the conversion of Russia.
Sister Jacinta was predeceased by her parents, brothers Anthony and Michael, and sisters Mary Dankow (Bill), Patricia Fields (Wally), Lena Lemko (Fred) and Anne Balaski (John). She is survived by her sister-in-law, LaVerne, of Oshawa, and numerous nieces, nephews and their families, as well as her Sisters in the SSMI Community.
May her memory be eternal – Вічна їй пам’ять!